Healthy Trends

I was flipping through some old magazines last night and it brought into mind the whole phenomenon of fitness trends. When I went away to college over 10 years ago, yoga was this huge, "new" thing everyone was doing. Ithaca College offered a few yoga classes -- not many -- but I eagerly waited in line to get a coveted spot in an evening class.

Ommmmm . . .

I feel like Pilates is what next appeared on the scene. I don't exactly remember when, but it was BIG. That and getting in time on the elliptical. Then a fusion of yoga and Pilates. Running became a trend, too. Spinning class. Then the whole Zumba craze. Then hot yoga -- everyone must try HOT yoga.

Now I can't read a magazine or blog without seeing some mention of CrossFit. Burpees. Hollow rocks. Jackknives. Split jumps. I have no clue what I'm even writing about here.

I've been swept into several of these trends. I'm sure many of you have as well. And I know I'm forgetting a ton of them. In my mother's 20s, it was all about dance aerobics. Sweatin' to the Oldies. Jogging. We all know how cycles tend to recur in time -- like how yoga, as I mentioned above, really isn't so "new" and has been done for ages and ages.

I wonder when we'll all be stocking up on equipment for step aerobics class!


According to Women's Health Magazine, "Strength training and body-weight training will be among the most popular fitness trends of 2013."

Now, one thing that has kept me from participating in more recent trends is the cost of classes and gym memberships. The time involved outside of running, which -- for me -- will never be a trend. It's my lifelong buddy. My activity of choice. So, what's awesome about this body-weight training is that . . . all you need is yourself!

Check out all these Zero Dollar Strength Training workouts you can do!

I'm planning to start my new year by indulging in this trend myself. I need help busting out of my fitness rut. I know my running will benefit from it. My body and bones, too. I am going to stop taking down Stephen's doorway pull-up bar and start putting myself up there as well.

What's your favorite fitness trend now or from throughout the ages?

Or perhaps there's one you'd like to forget! Just like with fashion, we can definitely have our missteps. For example, I am terrible at Pilates. I hate it. I tried it on once -- it was far from flattering -- and that was enough for me.

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New Fitness Goal: Chin-Up

Strength training has never, ever been my favorite thing to do. To avoid it, I do yoga. But lately, I haven't been doing any at all. Alright. So, I do push-ups. I was doing a ton of them too. I even got up to doing 80 at a time -- until I got busy. I think it's been over a week since I've cranked out my usual sets.

Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty weak. I'm also feeling somewhat unmotivated. Like I need a new goal. You may remember me mentioning in a previous post (Zero Dollar Strength Training) that I'd like to do pull-ups. Even just one would be great!

So, last night I set out to do just that. And look!


I totally rocked it -- look at me go!!! OK, no. I'm completely lying. COMPLETELY LYING, PEOPLE! I tried so very hard to do just one chin-up (because as I learned recently -- a pull-up uses an over-handed grip, chin-up is under-handed) . . . and I failed miserably. It's SO HARD!

But instead of letting that get me down. Instead of viewing my lack of ability as some sort of weakness (well, quite literally it is a weakness that is keeping me from doing a chin-up, but you know what I mean) -- I took it as a challenge. I made it a start to something. Instead of freaking out and walking home with my head hanging in shame, I did a negative chin-up. It's a building block to being able to do the real thing. You just start from the top position and slowly (in a very controlled way, using your muscles) lower yourself to the ground.


I did three repeats of the negative chin-up. Today, I hope to do five. And my goal by the end of the summer is to do a single chin-up successfully. I realize this goal may seem small, but -- at least for me -- this feat seems unimaginable!

Have you recently set any new fitness goals? What are they? And if you can do chin-ups and pull-ups like a pro, please, please, please share with me your secret to success! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaner [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Zero Dollar Strength Training

There are lots of workout DVDs and programs out there designed to build strength. But what all these programs share is the ability to get strong in your own living room. However, with so many out there, it's difficult to choose which one to follow. That's exactly why we stick with the basics. We run, and you all already know that (if not, check out our running tips/tricks page), because it's one of the most efficient ways to burn calories and gain cardiovascular benefits.

Other days we bike, walk, or hike. For strength and stability, we also do yoga. But I'm going to share with you today the programs we both (loosely -- more on that below) follow that are absolutely free, require no equipment . . . and are accessible from your desktop.

I'm sure you've heard about these plans before, and if you haven't -- welcome to the awesomeness. For most, all you need to complete them is yourself. By that I mean they're free. They're simple and empowering (literally and figuratively). And what's what? Yeah -- there are no excuses, then, to not try them out.

• 100 Push-Ups: An intense, 6-week training program that -- if followed strictly -- should have you doing 100 push-ups at a time.
• 200 Sit-Ups: Yet another 6-week program that promises at completion you'll be able to do 200 consecutive sit-ups.
• 200 Squats: You know the drill, 6 weeks to 200 squats in a row!
• 25 Pull-Ups (Coming Soon!): I'm especially excited about this new edition because I can't do even one pull-up right now. So, stay tuned . . .

OK. I bet some of you are thinking: OMG, I can't even do one single "regular" push-up! How can I get to 100 in only 6 weeks?

Well, what's so cool is that these programs guide you through the increases by making you pay attention to your own fitness level and abilities. Not doing so hot one week? It happens. You can repeat it and hone your current skills. No, you won't get to the ultimate goal in 6 weeks -- but that doesn't matter. You'll get there at your own pace.


You don't need to follow these plans exactly either! I used the push-ups program a year ago and didn't finish. Yup. I quit because I got busy/bored/excuses/excuses. But what it helped me do is develop my own strength training practice -- without the gym. I've regularly done one or two sets of 25 push-ups 4 to 5 days out of the week. But over the past two months, I've worked up to doing 80 push-ups in a row. I do that intense session once a week. On the other 3 to 4 days, I do two sets of 50 or some similar variation. Use these programs as guides. It's the push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and pull-ups (I think they should also add holding a plank position) that matter, not the time frame so much.

So before you shell out cash for some flashy workout DVD or all-the-rage new program, consider checking out these simple methods. I've just started the sit-ups one, and I can only do (comfortably) 30 in a row at this point. OK. I lied. It's 25. Just thinking about doing 200 blows my mind.

After that, I'll continue on to the squats. Also -- if you're new to working out, supplement with walking, jogging, biking (to work, even) and other basic methods of fitness. You'll be surprised at your results after a month -- not only in your muscles, but in your overall fitness and self-image.

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